Pebblespot
by V. Thomas
Summary: Pebblespot was born a member of the Terrible Trio, and died as part of the Dutiful Duo. She found friendship and love and honor in her Clan.


**This story was requested by Eight of the Warrior Cats Forum. The information I was given is as follows.**

Character Name: Pebblespot  
Character Physical Description: Medium-build she cat with short, black, glossy fur. Has bright orange eyes and small white spots on her back and forehead, along with white ears.  
Character Personality: A bossy, yet kind-hearted cat with a sharp tongue she isn't afraid to use.  
Family: Orangepelt was her father, an orange tabby cat with blue eyes; Lilypetal was her mother, a blueish cat with vibrant green eyes; Voletail(star) was her brother he had ginger fur and yellow eyes with medium build, Timberwood was her other brother a large, dark brown tabby with brown eyes (he was at first sweet, but turned very cold and mean) and Songfrost is her sister, a small white cat with blue eyes, she is deaf (so, she's a medicine cat)  
Clan: MoonClan  
Mate: Strongblaze, a dark gray tabby tom with fierce yellow eyes and medium sized fur. He is known for his fierce personality  
Kits: Iciclefall, a white she-cat with hints of gray, light blue eyes and Rabbitwhisker, a large, pure black tom with medium length hair and bright amber eyes  
Other: Her mentor was Foxjump, a small light gray tom-cat who was a sly as a fox and had a stubby tail

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Warriors series.**

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In MoonClan, the Terrible Trio consisted of Pebblekit, Timberkit, and Volekit. At the tender age of three moons, they'd earned their shared nickname, already having caused a great deal of trouble for their Clanmates. Pebblekit was often the ringleader of such stunts as romping through the medicine den to frighten their older sister, Songfrost, or sneaking out of camp by way of a small hole in the bracken to frolic in the leaves until the sun came up. A patrol sent out exclusively to catch the kits was more commonplace than unusual in MoonClan.

All good things must come to an end, though, and the Terrible Trio's days of chaos ended when they turned six moons old.

On that first day of peace, Pebblekit endured the fiercest cleaning known to the Clans. Before the apprentice ceremony could begin, her mother, Lilysplash, smoothed her pelt until it shone. Sometimes, the harried strokes of the blue queen's tongue were enough to knock Pebblekit off balance. The now glossy speckled black she-cat endured, though, knowing that each lick brought her closer to being named a 'paw. Her brothers weren't as patient, but finally let Lilysplash groom them until their coats were slicked back and as close to perfect as they could ever be.

"Your father would be so proud," the queen told them as they padded towards the Speechstone. There was a certain wistfulness in her green eyes. Orangepelt, her aptly named mate, had died on the nearby Thunderpath shortly before the birth of Pebblekit and her brothers. The kits never got to meet their father, but Volekit carried on his father's ginger tabby pelt and medium-sized build. Pebblekit had that same structure, while Timberkit was larger, darker, and sturdier than his mother or father. Only Songfrost, who was a single kit in her litter, possessed Orangepelt's brilliant blue eyes.

And so, with the words of Sandstar, ringing through the camp, Orangepelt's kits became apprentices. Volekit was apprenticed to Stormwhisker, Timberpaw to Tigerfoot, and Pebblepaw to Foxjump. The Terrible Trio, now laden with the new duties all apprentices must share, had far less time for trouble. Pebblepaw's mentor in particular kept her from making mischief. Just when she thought she could get away with putting ants in Volepaw's nest or teasing Flowerpaw about her crush on Timberpaw, the small tom would slink up beside her and give her a good, quick scolding. Then he's send her off to hunt or to scour the elders for ticks. Throughout her apprenticeship he did this, always catching her before any more havoc could be wrought.

Eventually, Pebblepaw confronted him about it. "You never let me have any fun," she informed him coldly. "You jump in, even when it's harmless, and send me away. Where's your sense of humor? Weren't you ever a kit?"

To this he replied, "Oh, I was a kit. I just learned when it was time to grow up." And then he strode away. Pebblepaw, seething at how coolly he'd deflected her argument, was sure that he'd be waving his tail in satisfaction if it was any more than a mere stump. At the same time, though, she reflected on his words. In the end, she accepted the message and decided Foxjump was awfully sly when it came to making a point.

Time passed much more quickly after that. Pebblepaw began to take her role in the Clan more seriously than she ever had. Her pranks ceased, her temper evened out, and she learned to control her somewhat bossy streak. She even took to helping Songfrost in her spare time. The white she-cat's hearing was beginning to go, but Pebblepaw did all she could to help her sister continue serving MoonClan to the best of her ability. They grew incredibly close from working together so often. Some cats even wondered if Pebblepaw would go on to become a medicine cat instead. Even Volepaw thought this, and began to spend increasing time with his sisters to see if it might be true. Only Timberpaw was left out.

In the end, Pebblepaw stayed true to her warrior path. Alongside her brothers, she received her warrior name. Sandstar christened the siblings Voletail, Timberwood, and Pebblespot. No battle preceded the ceremony. They earned their names from long hours in the sun and long nights standing guard.

Perhaps this wasn't enough for Timberwood. The dark brown tabby seemed restless all during his vigil. Pebblespot tried to lay her tail on her shoulder in comfort, but he slid away from her with a dark glance. When the sun came up, she tried to coax an explanation from him, but he lashed out, nearly tearing her white ears. After that, she let it go. That was not the Timberwood she knew, and she was not sure that was the Timberwood she wanted to know.

And so the Terrible Trio became the Dutiful Duo. Voletail and Pebblespot poured their hearts and souls into serving MoonClan while Timberwood brooded around. In fact, it swiftly got to the point where Sandstar requested both Voletail and Pebblespot take on apprentices. Featherfrost's three kits were in need of mentors, and the brother-sister duo was (to Sandstar), perfect for the job. So it came to be that Voletail took on Strongpaw as his apprentice and Pebblespot was named mentor to Brightpaw. The final apprentice, Windpaw, was to be mentored by the deputy, Nightwing. Together they all trained, each day working to uphold the prosperity and peace of MoonClan.

Pebblespot found that her apprentice had a particular gift for hunting. She would send the stark white she-cat into the forest alone some afternoons, requesting that the slender apprentice return with a specific type of prey. Brightpaw rarely failed in this task. She even went above and beyond when possible, dragging two or three pieces of prey back to camp in a single trip. Pebblespot's orange eyes glowed with pride every time Brightpaw returned with as much prey as she could carry. Even better, the young she-cat often took her catch straight to the elders. Pebblespot couldn't be happier with the she-cat she was mentoring.

She did find, however, that her brother was not having the same level of success with Strongpaw. The dark gray tabby had a certain fire to him that his mentor had difficulty matching. He had a passion for battle training, and a burning sensation seemed ever-present while looking into his yellow eyes. As the apprentice grew, both in size and in talent, Pebblespot found herself drawn to his confidence and ability. More and more often, she would ask her brother to hold a dual training session. A small part of her wanted Brightpaw to work with her brother. Most of her wanted to admire Strongpaw's skill. He was impressive, and Pebblespot could not be convinced otherwise.

Eventually, Pebblespot chose to speak to Sandstar about the three apprentices. "They're ready," she declared one greenleaf evening. "All three of them. No sense in waiting for a battle or a tragedy to give them their warrior names. _They are ready._"

Sandstar dipped his head with characteristic grace. His muzzle was beginning to gray. "I know," he told her. "I've been watching. I agree."

That chilly greenleaf night, with the breeze tugging at the grass beneath their paws, all of MoonClan gathered to listen as Windpaw became Windfoot, as Brightpaw took the name Brightwing, and as Strongpaw became Strongblaze.

The following morning, Sandstar was found dead in his den. It appeared that it was nothing more than his tired old heart giving out. The Clan mourned for him, of course, but Pebblespot was almost glad for the way he'd departed to StarClan. It had not been violent, only peaceful and simple. He'd been able to name three warriors before his passing, and she doubted there could be a greater honor than that.

With Sandstar's passing, though, Nightwing was required to chose a new deputy. Leaping to the top of the Speechstone, she raised her voice and let it carry through the camp. "I say these words before Starclan, that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my new deputy of MoonClan is Voletail!"

A great deal of the Clan was skeptical. They raised their voices in protest, but Voletail still made his way to stand on the Speechstone beside Nightwing and receive her vote of confidence. When the black and gray she-cat yowled to her Clan that Voletail was the deputy and would remain the deputy, there was no more arguments. A hush fell over the camp and the Clan decided it was wise to avoid clashing with their new leader.

In the moons following, Pebblespot believed that Voletail made a fine deputy. He was cautious, yes, but still sure of himself when he finally made a choice. He did not overreact, and he was invariably kind. The white-speckled warrior was proud to be his sister.

As it turned out, she shared her pride in him with his first and only apprentice, Strongblaze. The gray tabby approached her one evening to share tongues, and they found themselves on the subject of Voletail's deputyship. Soon, they shared their praises and concerns for the ginger tabby, wrapping up their meal with a wish for a long nine lives when it came time for him to become a leader.

What was more, there was a small spark between them. Suddenly, conversations about the weather and the running of the prey turned to quiet moments of avoiding eye contact and hiding noses under tails in an effort to appear to be asleep. All of MoonClan saw what was tempering the cats' fires except for Pebblespot and Strongblaze.

One night, sharing guard duty at the mouth of the bracken, the two cats struck up a soft conversation, eyes flashing in the night. "You're a great warrior," Pebblespot managed to tell him. She thought his tailed curled in delight, but if it did, it quickly uncurled as if ashamed.

"As are you," Strongblaze replied in his typical rasp.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"I'm an all right warrior, I suppose." The black she-cat's attempt at modesty was thwarted by Strongblaze padding closer.

"You're a great warrior. Down to the spots on your forehead. I promise."

Not long after that, they were inseparable. The kits squirming in Pebblespot's belly may have had something to do with it, of course, and the whole Clan had a bemused outlook on the pair. Two of MoonClan's most devoted, fiery warriors were inexplicably intertwined, and it was a wonderful thing.

When it came time for Pebblespot to move to the nursery, she protested. She wanted to continue with her warrior duties as long as possible, but with a great deal of coaxing from Voletail and her mate, she settled into soft nests and a quiet existence.

Of course, the arrival of her kits shattered that calm. Their birth went well, and the only chaos that came from it was when they were old enough to wander the camp. Rabbitkit and Iciclekit were very much like their mother and their uncles. The Pandemonium Pair, as they were called, had a tendency to pull the same tricks as Pebblespot did before them. Iciclekit's favorite trick was to vanish into the snow when it drifted down. Her white coat with its streaks of gray rendered her nearly invisible. Only her bright blue eyes, her grandfather's eyes, could be found when she did this. On the other paw, Rabbitkit preferred to hide in the shadows of the Speechstone and launch himself at cats. So familiar were they with mixed scents in MoonClan that it was often too late for them to realize the little black terror was lying in wait. His amber eyes would light with mirth whenever he successfully scared anyone, and sometimes Pebblespot found herself more proud of her kits' antics than willing to scold them.

Shortly after Pebblespot's kits became apprentices, with newleaf trailing away, Nightstar lost her final life. A fox had strayed onto MoonClan territory. Thankfully, a patrol had encountered it before it could get any closer to the camp. In the skirmish, though, both Nightstar and Foxjump lost their lives. Pebblespot and Strongblaze felt a rush of relief that their kits had not been on that patrol, but the sense of grief remained. A leader and a mentor were lost.

Before the two cats could be buried and sent off to StarClan, Voletail dragged his body onto the Speechstone, eyes bleary with tiredness. He needed to name a new deputy before he traveled to the Starpool to receive his nine lives, and who better than to support him than Pebblespot? He called on her to take the position he had held, and she willingly accepted. The Clan was also willing to let her take the role, unlike when Voletail had been selected. The brother and sister had shown so much grown in their moons as warriors, and now commanded a certain degree of respect.

Pebblespot accompanied her brother to the star pool when he received his nine lives and prided herself on the fact that she was the first to call him Volestar. She served as his deputy for many moons, until she was gray in the muzzle and adamant that she would never retire. Her Clan could always use her skills. Even after Strongblaze retired, his shoulder wrenched beyond repair from a fall, she remained deputy, loyal to her Clan and just a bit stubborn.

By the time she died of age, her great heart worn out, she'd seen her kits become fine warriors. Iciclefall even went on to have kits with a younger, golden tom named Sunfur, while Rabbitkit fell head over heels for Poppywing. Strongblaze was a venerable elder.

Pebblespot died happily in her sleep, proud of her family, her Clan, and herself.


End file.
